Wednesday, September 1, 2010

What the hell is happening with Ghostbusters 3?

Fans of the Ghostbusters franchise (myself included) have got to be pulling out their hair right now.
Is it happening? Is it off again this week? What the *redacted* is Bill Murray saying this week? He's in? He's out? He's in, but only as a ghost?

io9 are reporting that an old rumour has sprung up again. Oscar, who we last saw as the infant receptacle for the spirit of sequel bad-guy Vigo in Ghostbusters 2, turns out to be Pete Venkman's son and is planning on following in daddy's steps and strapping on the ol' proton pack. Latest rumours have not only all four original Ghostbusters (Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson) returning, but Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett, Anie Potts as Janine Melnitz, and (wait for it) ... Rick Moranis as Louis Tully! Moranis has long sworn off the acting world, and has been making a nice career for himself as a Country singer (so I'm told ... those of you who know me are aware of my lack of knowledge of Country music).

Barely weeks ago, Murray was quoted as saying that he was out, as the wunderkind writers that Ramis had brought on for the project (Gene Stupnitsky & Lee Eisenberg) based on their success on The Office, may not be the geniuses everybody thought, after the massive flop that was Ramis's Year One.

Ramis & Aykroyd have long been the cheerleaders for Ghostbusters 3, and when we spoke to Ernie Hudson in 2008, he admitted that he'd jump at the chance to reprise the role of Zed, but the fate of this project has always hung on the involvement of Murray. The way rumours have been swinging, the only way that this project is going to get off the ground is if Ramis and Aykroyd bring to bear the weight of a Hollywood studio fleet of lawyers and sign him to an iron-clad contract in a week (day? hour?), when he's swung back to the positive. I'm sure he's going to bitch and moan about it, but if the contract is tight enough, the freaking project may just happen.

And who doesn't want to see Eliza Dushku and Anna Farris join the gang of Old Guys in Ecto1?